Sumo, Chinatown, and Out-of-Class fun!

Hey all! Sorry it has taken me sooooo long to post....I am going to try and be better at posting more often! A lot has happened in the last 2 weeks, so here it goes!

First, as I promised last time, lets talk about Sumo!!!! Our program cost includes tickets to the Sumo final, so we were all able to see Sumo wrestlers in action! I definately thought it would be boring...fat men in thongs pushing each other around....BUT HOW WRONG I WAS! It was actually very exciting. Sumo wrestlers are required to live and train in sumo stables with a highly restricted lifestyle. So it is really amazing to see all their hard work go into practice! And I am pretty sure all that fat is to hide and protect their muscles.


Me at the Sumo arena. It was early, so we got to sit up close!

A bunch of us decided to go there really early to see whats what, which was good. The morning bouts are for the ametuers, so there were a lot of good seats open. It was a good introduction to the sport, for we could see up close all the formality involved. First, the sumo ring is a very sacred area, and it is treated as such. Before the match, there is often some chanting and ceremonial sweeping. The wrestlers themselves throw salt to purify the arena (this part can sometimes go on for awhile, as you will see in the sumo video). The goal is to throw your opponent out of the rink or make something other than his feet touch the ring.


Me in front of the Sumo arena.

As time went on, more and more people came, so we had to retreat to our seats in the balcony. From here, we bet on our favorite sumos (usually based on the color of their thongs or their size, as we did not really know much about the individual wresters themselves). The last match, the match that is on the video I have posted, was unusal in the fact that it continued for awhile...usually they last no longer than 20 seconds. The movie I took is about 10 minutes long, so if you want to skip ahead to about 6:00, that is about when the match begins. Part of sumo is intimidation, and the last too guys kep trying to psych the other out. The winner was Sho Hakuho from Mongolia.

As I may have mentioned, school is out! This means more time to do fun things. Our study abroad group had a going away party for 2 of our members who are going back to the US, which included some very delicious food. I hung out with Asuka and we did some serious karaoke-ing. Playing pool and going to museums. I really have not had one day just to rest around since the break ended! But it has been fun.

Me on one of my many fun outings. This is Ebisu Beer Garden, where we went for a friends Birthday.

Yesterday, to commemorate the day before lent, I arranged another all you can eat cake event. As some of you know, I give up sweets and coffee every year from ash wednesday to easter. So, I wanted to have one last cake delight. I might have overdosed on chocolate a little....I also imagine I will be going through sugar withdrawal soon. Wish me luck!


Snow!!! I love it! But it melts so fast.....

By the way, Happy New Year! Thats right, today is the start of the Chinese new year! We are now in the year of the rat! To celebrate the occausion, some of us traveled to Chinatown in Yokohama today. I once wrote a paper on American Chinatowns, so I was eager to see I Japanese one.


Me and friend at Chinatown.

It was fun, albeit a bit expensive where food was concerned. The touristy shops were fun, and I bought a few little gifts. Toward the end of the day, dragon dancer people went by every Chinese restaurant and did a little dance in front of it (see the movie). We were amused when the passed over starbucks! It was very exciting! Watch the movie below. :)

If you think I have been having too much fun, I also, for 2 hours daily, meet my friends at school and study Japanese. So hopefully I will improve over Spring Break without any classes. We will see....Also, my New Years resolution was to get up earlier, so I have been waking up at 7:00 every morning!


Panda snacks I cannot eat!

Righto, this weekend is going to be jammed packed as well, but I will try to not stay out as much...Miss you all, talk to ya soon!


Me and a Saigo Takamori statue, who you may know as "The last samurai."